Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-08-03
"Wcll," she said, IL will 60 with you,


still sitting in his tent thinking. Then they
crept on. perfectly sure that if they were not
heard they would not 10 seen. curtaincd as
they were 10y the dense mist and darkness
till at length they reached tho bolc of the
first big gum tree. Five PAGES from this trcc
Frank Mull"r'S tent was pitched. 1t bad Il
light in it which caused the wet tent to
glow in the mist uS though 1t had
been rubbed with phosphorus, ANA
on this lurid canvas the shadow "i
Frank Muller was Glgantically lHnned. lie
was so placed that the light cast a maGnlticd
reflection OF his every feature and even OF his
expression upon the screen before them. The
attitude in which he was seated was his favor
itc one when lie was plunged i'll thought, his
hands resting on his knees and his gaze liked
on vacancy. He was thinking of his triumph,
ant. of all that he had gone through to win 1t
and of all that it would bring him. He held
the trump cards now, and the game was III
his OWL hand. He had triumphcd, and yet
over him hung the shadow of that curse that
dogs tie presence of our accomplished desires.
Too often. even with the innocent, does the
seed of our destruction lurk III the rich bios
SOM of our hopes. and much more Is this so
with the guilty Somehow this thought was
present in his mind tonight, and i'll a rough,
half educated way he graSred its truth. Once
moro the saying of the old Bocr general rose
in his mind: Il believe that there is God
believe that God sets Il limit to Il mans
doinSS. Ii he is going too far, God Kills
him.
What II dreadful thing it would be if the
old fool were right after all. SuppoSlnS that
there were God, and God were to kill him
tonight, and hurry of his soul, if he had one,
to some dim place of uncndinG fear! All his
supcrstitions awokc at the thought. and he
shiverrd SO violently that the shadow of the
Shivcr caused the outlines of the gigantic
form upon the canvas to trcmblc up and
down.
Then, rising with an angry curse. he hastily
threw of his outer clothing. and having
turned down but not cXtinSuShcd the rough
laratlinc lamp, flung himself upon the little
camp bcdStcad. which crcakcd AMI groancd
beneath his weight like Il thing i'll pain.
Then came silence, only broken by the drip,
drip of t'lc rain from the gum leaves over
head ana the rattling of the houghs whenever
breath of air stirred them. 1t was an ccric
and depressing night, a night that might we'll
wet through and Worn out, had been obliged
to crouch upon the open and endure it. How
much more awful was it then to the unfortu-
hate woman who, half broken hearted, fever
stricken and well nigh crazcd with suffering
of mind and body. waited in it to see murder
done Slowly the minutes passed, and ut
every raindrop or rustic of bouGh her
guilty conscience summoned up host ot
fears But by the mere power of her will she
kept them down. She would so through with
it. Yes. She would go through with it. Surely
he must be asleep by now
They crept up to the tent and placed their
ears within two inches of his head. Yes, he
was asleep; the sound of his breathing rose
and fell with the regularity of an infants.
jess turned round AMI touched her conf
panion upon the shoulder He did not move,
hut she felt that his arm was shaking
Now" she whispered.
Still he hung back 1t was evident to her
that the long waiting i.ad taken the courage
out of him.
BE Il man." she whispered again, 80 low
that the sound scarcely reached his ears, al
though her lips were almost touching them,
go, and mind YOU strike home..'
great knife from the sheath, and in another
second he had slidcd from her side Pres
emily she saw the line of light that cut out
upon the darkness through the opening of the
tent broaden Il little, and by that she knew
that he was creeping i'll upon his dreadful
errand Then she turned her head and put
her fingers in her ears But even so she could
see u long line of shadow travelling across the
skirt of the tent. So she shut her eyes also
and waited, sick at heart, for she did not
dare move.
Prescnty--it might have been five minutes
or only half IL minute afterward, for she had
lost count of time. she felt somebody touch
her on the arm. 1t was Jantje
is it done she whispered again.
He shook his heal and drew her away from
the tent. In going her foot caught in one OF
the guide ropes and shook it slightly.
Il could not do it, missile" he said. lie is
asleep and looks just like child. When |
lifted the knife he smiled in his sleep, and NIL
the strength went out OF my arm, 50 that
could not strike. And then before could
get strong again the ghost of the old English
woman came and hit ne in the back and |
ran away.
u II
would aS>urrlly have been blasted then The
mans "Owarlice made her mad, but while She
still cloked with wrath duikcr buck, which
had come down from its stony home to feed
upon the rose bushes. suddenly Sprung with n
crash almost from her feet, passing away like
Il gray glcam into the utter darkness.
jess started and then recovered herself,
surSSin. what it waS but the miserable Hot
tcnt"t was overcome with terror and irl upon
the ground gr"alIilS out that 1t was the ghost
of the old Eilglishwnnlan. He ha'l dropped
the knife u> he fell, and jess, Sc"in, the I'M
mincnt l"rit in which they were placed. knct
down. picked il up, and hi>>ci int" his ear
that ii IN. were not quiet She would kill him.
Ills l,acicd him a little, but no earthly
power could persuade him to enter the tent
again.
What w;> /" he done: What could She do!
For two minutes or more She buried her face
III her wrt hands and thought wildly and
,ir>lniringly.
Then Il dark and dreadful determination
entered her miml The man Muller should
not c>''ll" Bessie should not hr sacrificed To-
him I,a,l,'r than that she would do the deed
herself
Without Il word she rose. animated 10y the
tragic a1"uy I'll lI"r purp"ec and the force. Of
her despair. ami glhlrl toward Tn" tent, the
:.r.;,t knife III her hand Now ;tII' all too
soon, sin. WAS in>ii" "i 1t and >t"'i for Il
SECOND I" allow her eyes Ia grow accustomed
t. th" light Presently III" began I" >,'" first.
thu "rIliIu. "t '.' lr,i tilu the on, line q: the
manly form stretched upon il, then ''",h l"'l
ai!d man distinctly. .Iant j.. iln,l >!i that H..
VA, sleeping lik" Il child He might have
h"rn HOW h" was mot On the. contrary. his
face. WIS r"uvul>..l Liz" tha, uf one in IN ,v-
rrcmity "i fear, AMI great l"adS Of >w"a;
stool upon his brow. 1t WAS H. though H..
knew his danger. aud was vet utterly power
less /" avoid II H.. lay upon his back 'Iu,.
heavy arm his lett, huns over tine >I,l" Of tn"
bed, tn" kmu"kl'> If Ia" hand r,>tlm, "n ,h'.
GROUND: the other wt> thrown back and his
l,.,i wa> lll"wrl upon IL Ti' cl"thnc haI
fallen back from hI> throat and nr,>>iyrr'>;,
which wrr" quite l'ar"
jess >,"oGi and :,azod. "Frr N"'>>ir> sake"
for l:c~,i,'s >;tL..'' >" murnlrr'i ami thea.
in,..llcd lv Il fore" that s"eImol L" NOV" rt
it>rlf. >lr" rr,.lt slowly, slowly, I" Tia" right
hand side Of the bed
At this r,"n"nt the man woke, AMI has
opening eyes fell full upon her lace. What
ever his dream ha.l been, what Ii" now NIw
was far more terrible, for l"'n'lInG over him
vas tin. ghost @: tn" woman II" mad lmIr'!'r"i
III tn" Naal' There she was risen from her
river gr:,vr. torn ,ll>h"v2llr'l, water Yet drip
ping from her hands and hair Tli">" sunk
t,,1 Hanna